Rail device

ABSTRACT

A rail device includes an inner rail, a middle rail slidably mounted to the inner rail, and an outer rail slidably mounted to the middle rail. The inner rail forms a first protrusion. The middle rail forms a first locking member and a driving member at a first end. The outer rail forms a second locking member and a pushing member. When the first locking member latches with the first protrusion, and the second locking member latches with the second protrusion, the rail device has a first length. When the first locking member latches with the first protrusion, and the pushing member latches with the driving member, the rail device has a second length.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a rail device.

2. Description of Related Art

Rail devices are often mounted to opposite sides of servers to mount theservers in racks. The rails are connected between two poles of theracks. However, a length of the rail devices is fixed, so when serversneed to be mounted in another rack having a different length, the raildevices need to be replaced, which can be costly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the present embodiments can be better understood withreference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings arenot necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed uponclearly illustrating the principles of the present embodiments.Moreover, in the drawings, all the views are schematic, and likereference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the severalviews.

FIG. 1 is an exploded, isometric view of an embodiment of a rail device,wherein the rail device includes an inner rail, a middle rail, and anouter rail.

FIG. 2 is similar to FIG. 1, but viewed from another perspective.

FIG. 3 is a partly assembled, isometric view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows the middle rail and the outer rail of FIG. 3, but viewedfrom another perspective.

FIG. 5 is a partly assembled, isometric view of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is an assembled, isometric view of FIG. 1, showing a first stateof the rail device.

FIG. 7 is a side plan view of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is an assembled, isometric view of FIG. 1, showing a second stateof the rail device.

FIG. 9 is a side plan view of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is an assembled, isometric view of FIG. 1, showing a third stateof the rail device.

FIG. 11 is a side plan view of FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosure, including the accompanying drawings, is illustrated byway of example and not by way of limitation. It should be noted thatreferences to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are notnecessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean “at leastone.”

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, an embodiment of a rail device includes aninner rail 10, a middle rail 20 slidably mounted to the inner rail 10,and an outer rail 30 slidably mounted to the middle rail 20. Across-section of the inner rail 10 and the middle rail 20 issubstantially C-shaped.

The inner rail 10 forms a first fixing portion 11 at a first end. Anextension portion 12 extends from a second end of the inner rail 10opposite to the first fixing portion 11 to install an electronic device,such as a server (not shown). The inner rail 10 defines a first opening14. Two spaced blocks 16 protrude from an outer surface of the innerrail 10. The two blocks 16 are adjacent to a first side of the firstopening 14 near the first fixing portion 11. A first protrusion 18protrudes from the outer surface of the inner rail 10, adjacent to asecond side of the first opening 14 near the extension portion 12. Outersides of the blocks 16 away from each other form guiding surfaces 160.The guiding surfaces 160 slope away from each other toward the firstprotrusion 18. A surface of the first protrusion 18 facing the blocks 16forms a stopping surface 180 that is substantially perpendicular to alengthwise direction of the inner rail 10. Another surface of the firstprotrusion 18 away from the blocks 16 is a guiding surface 182 slantedlyextending toward the second end of the inner rail 10.

A driving member 22 and a locking member 24 are mounted to a first endof the middle rail 20. The middle rail 20 defines two spaced receivingslots 26 in the first end. Two fixing holes 200 are defined betweenfirst ends of the receiving slots 26 adjacent to the first end of themiddle rail 20. A first through slot 28 is defined adjacent to secondends of the receiving slots 26, which is adjacent to the second end ofthe middle rail 20. Each receiving slot 26 includes a first part 260adjacent to the fixing holes 200, and a second part 262 communicatingwith the first part 260 and adjacent to the through slot 28. The secondpart 262 is wider than the first part 260.

The driving member 22 includes a connecting piece 220, two legs 222extending substantially perpendicularly toward the inner rail 10 fromopposite ends of the connecting piece 220, and two arms 224 slantedlyextending toward each other from the legs 222. Two blocking pieces 226extend from distal ends of the arms 224 away from the inner rail 10. Twoguiding pieces 228 slantedly extend away from each other from distalends of the blocking pieces 226.

The legs 222 are engaged in the first parts 260, and the connectingpiece 220 contacts an outer surface of the middle rail 20 away from theinner rail 10. The arms 224 are movably received in the second parts262. Parts of the arms 224 having the blocking pieces 226 are exposedout of the outer surface of the middle rail 20, and the other parts ofthe arms 224 are exposed out of an inner surface of the middle rail 20.Two screws 80 extend through the connecting pieces 220 and are engagedin the fixing holes 200, to fix the driving member 22 to the middle rail20.

The locking member 24 is a resilient piece. A first part of the lockingmember 24 is slantedly extended in from a second part of the lockingmember 24. Two projections 240 perpendicularly extend toward the innerrail 10 from opposite sides of the first part of the locking member 24.Each projection 240 forms a stopping surface 242 facing the second partof the locking member 24, and a slanted guiding surface 244. A screwextends through the second end of the locking member 24 and then isengaged in the middle rail 20, to attach the locking member 24 to theouter surface of the middle rail 20. The projections 240 are received inthe first through slot 28 and are exposed out of the inner surface ofthe middle rail 20. The stopping surfaces 242 face the second end of themiddle rail 20, while the guiding surfaces 244 face the first end of themiddle rail 20.

The middle rail 20 defines a second opening 29 adjacent to the secondend of the middle rail 20. A second protrusion 290 having substantiallya same shape as the first protrusion 18 protrudes from the outer surfaceof the middle rail 20, and is adjacent to an end of the opening 29 nearthe second end of the middle rail 20. The protrusion 290 forms astopping surface 292 facing the first end of the middle rail 20.

The outer rail 30 defines a second through slot 32 adjacent to a firstend of the outer rail 30. A locking member 35 having substantially asame shape as the locking member 24 is mounted to an outer surface ofthe outer rail 30. Projections 350 of the locking member 35 are receivedin the second through slot 32 and are exposed out of an inner surface ofthe outer rail 30 toward the middle rail 20. The projections 350 alsoform stopping surfaces 352 (shown in FIG. 4) facing a second end of theouter rail 30, and guiding surfaces 354 facing the first end of theouter rail 30. A second fixing portion 31 is formed at the second end ofthe outer rail 30. Two spaced pushing members 34 protrude from an innersurface of the outer rail 30 toward the middle rail 20, adjacent to anend of the second through slot 32 towards the first end of the outerrail 30. Each pushing member 34 forms a pushing surface 340 facing thesecond through slot 32. Sides of the pushing members 34 away from eachother form guiding surfaces 342 slantedly extending away from each othertoward the second through slot 32.

Referring to FIGS. 5 to 7, in assembly, the first end of the middle rail20 is slid into the inner rail 10 from the second end of the inner rail10. The arms 224 are deformed away from each other along the guidingsurfaces 160, and the locking member 24 is deformed when the projections240 pass by the first protrusion 18, until the stopping surfaces 242abut against the stopping surface 180.

The first end of the outer rail 30 is slid into the middle rail 20 fromthe second end of the middle rail 20, until the projections 350 abutagainst the stopping surface 292 of the second protrusions 290. At thistime, the rail device is fixed with a first length, which is a longestlength (shown in FIGS. 10 and 11) of the rail device, and a distancebetween the fixing portions 11 and 31 is longest. The fixing portions 11and 31 are fixed to two poles of a rack receiving the server.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, the outer rail 30 is slid toward the firstend of the middle rail 20, to allow the pushing members 34 to slidealong inner surfaces of the arms 224 to deform the arms 224 away fromeach other, until the pushing surfaces 340 abut sides of the blockingpieces 226 facing the connecting piece 220. At this time, the raildevice is fixed with a second length less then the first length.

The middle rail 20 and the outer rail 30 can be further slid toward thefirst end of the inner rail 10, until the first ends of the middle rail20 and the outer rail 30 abut the first fixing portion 11.

In elongating the rail device, the outer rail 30 is slid toward thesecond end of the inner rail 10. Because the pushing members 34 abutagainst the blocking pieces 226, the middle rail 20 is slid togetherwith the outer rail 30, until the guiding pieces 228 contact the blocks16.

Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, in further elongating the rail device, theouter rail 30 is further slid toward the second end of the inner rail10. The arms 224 are then deformed by the blocks 16 and are slid alongthe guiding surfaces 160, to disengage the blocking pieces 226 from thepushing members 34. The projections 240 are blocked by the stoppingsurface 180, such that the middle rail 20 is stopped. The outer rail 30is then slid by itself. When the projections 350 are blocked by thestopping surface 292, the outer rail 30 is stopped, and the rail deviceis in the longest state.

It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will beunderstood from the foregoing description, and various changes may bemade thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of thedescription or sacrificing all of their material advantages, theexamples hereinbefore described merely being exemplary embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A rail device, comprising: an inner rail forminga first protrusion; a middle rail slidably mounted to the inner rail,the middle rail comprising a first locking member and a driving memberat a first end, and a second protrusion at a second end; and an outerrail slidably mounted to the middle rail; the outer rail comprising asecond locking member and two pushing members at a first end; whereinwhen the first locking member is blocked by the first protrusion and thesecond locking member is blocked by the second protrusion, the raildevice is fixed with a first length; when the first locking member isblocked by the first protrusion and the pushing members are latched withthe driving member, the rail device is fixed with a second length. 2.The rail device of claim 1, wherein a first fixing portion is formed ata first end of the inner rail, a second fixing portion is formed at asecond end of the outer rail.
 3. The rail device of claim 1, wherein theinner rail forms two blocks between the first protrusion and a first endof the inner rail, the driving member comprises two arms, each armexpose out of an inner surface and an outer surface of the middle rail,the pushing members protrude from an inner surface of the outer rail andabut against the arms to drive the middle rail to slide together withthe outer rail until the arms are deformed away from each other bysliding along sides of the blocks away from each other, to allow thearms to disengage from the pushing members and to stop the middle rail.4. The rail device of claim 3, wherein the sides of the blocks away fromeach other are guiding surfaces slantedly extending away from each otherand toward the first protrusion, the sides of the pushing member awayfrom each other are guiding surfaces slantedly extending away from eachother and toward a second end of the outer rail.
 5. The rail device ofclaim 3, wherein the middle rail defines two receiving slots, eachreceiving slot comprises a first part and a second part communicatingwith the first part and less than the first part in width, the drivingmember further comprises two legs engaged in the first parts, the armsslantedly extend toward each other from the legs and are received in thesecond parts.
 6. The rail device of claim 3, wherein two blocking piecesextend from distal ends of the arms to abut against the pushing members.7. The rail device of claim 6, wherein two guiding pieces slantedlyextend away from each other from distal ends of the blocking pieces toguide the arms to slide along the sides of the blocks away from eachother.
 8. The rail device of claim 1, wherein the first and the secondlocking members are resilient pieces, the first locking member ismounted to an outer surface of the middle rail and comprises a firstprojection exposing out of an inner surface of the middle rail to abutagainst the first protrusion, the second locking member is mounted to anouter surface of the outer rail and comprises a second projectionexposing out of an inner surface of the outer rail to abut against thesecond protrusion.
 9. The rail device of claim 8, wherein each of thefirst and second locking members forms a guiding surface facing thefirst end of the middle rail and a stopping surface facing the secondend of the middle rail.
 10. The rail device of claim 1, wherein thefirst protrusion and the second protrusion have substantially a sameshape, each form a stopping surface facing a first end of the inner railand a guiding surface slantedly extending toward a second end of theinner rail from a top of the corresponding stopping surface.
 11. Therail device of claim 10, wherein the middle rail defines a first openingadjacent to the stopping surface of the second protrusion, the innerrail defines a second opening adjacent to the stopping surface of thefirst protrusion.